\n 2026-05-16T11:21:56+00:00<\/p>\n
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Shafaq News-
\nBaghdad<\/p>\n
Iraqi Prime Minister
\nAli al-Zaidi on Saturday delivered his first address to the nation since
\nassuming office, setting out a broad government agenda anchored in economic
\ndiversification and a declared commitment to combating corruption.<\/p>\n
Speaking in a
\ntelevised address marking his formal assumption of office, al-Zaidi said his
\ngovernment would work to reduce Iraq’s dependence on a single revenue source
\n\u2014an implicit reference to the country’s near-total reliance on oil exports \u2014by
\nactivating the industrial, agricultural, tourism, and investment sectors.<\/p>\n
Corruption, he
\nsaid, constitutes “an obstacle to development that delays the progress of
\nthe state.” The government would move to protect public funds and pursue
\nadministrative and financial corruption “in all its forms,” al-Zaidi
\nsaid, without detailing specific mechanisms or institutional mandates.<\/p>\n
Job creation
\nfor youth was listed among the government’s stated priorities to be pursued
\nthrough development projects, investment incentives, and private sector
\npartnerships. Al-Zaidi said his administration would work toward \u201cequal\u201d
\ndistribution of opportunities for all Iraqis, “free from favoritism,”
\nand grounded in the principles of citizenship and social justice.<\/p>\n
Education and
\nHealthcare<\/p>\n
Commitments to
\nthe education sector included curriculum development and the rehabilitation of
\nschools and universities. On healthcare, al-Zaidi said the government had plans
\nto develop hospital infrastructure and extend medical services to citizens in
\nboth urban and rural areas, without specifying timelines or funding
\nallocations.<\/p>\n
Infrastructure,
\na persistent shortfall in successive Iraqi governments, drew pointed language
\nfrom the prime minister, who said the services file “will no longer remain
\nhostage to deferred promises.” Projects targeting electricity, water,
\nroads, bridges, and housing networks were referenced as priorities, again
\nwithout detailed implementation schedules.<\/p>\n
Governance and
\nForeign Relations<\/p>\n
Al-Zaidi
\ndescribed his administration as “a government of institutions, law, and
\njustice, open to all, listening to the citizen,” and said it would work to
\nconsolidate security, protect Iraqi sovereignty, and develop Arab, regional,
\nand international relations based on mutual respect and shared interests.<\/p>\n
He also
\nexpressed gratitude to the Supreme Religious Authority, Ayatollah Ali
\nal-Sistani, the most influential Shia cleric in Iraq, whose endorsements have
\nhistorically shaped the country’s political landscape, for “wise positions
\nand a role in preserving social peace,” and acknowledged Iraq’s various
\nreligious and national communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2026-05-16T11:21:56+00:00 font Enable Reading Mode A- A A+ Shafaq News- Baghdad Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Saturday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[30690,152,94,40086],"class_list":{"0":"post-116601","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iraq","8":"tag-ali-al-zaidi","9":"tag-breaking","10":"tag-iraq","11":"tag-iraqs-new-pm-ali-al-zaidi-vows-crackdown-on-corruption-in-first-address"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116584199103965346","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}